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Feb 17, 2010

Authors Worth Watching, Spotlight 1 of 5

As promised, I'm going to write a brief spotlight on each of the writers on the list I compiled of 25 Authors Worth Watching. Each summary will give you a little background on the writer, where you can find early work to sample, and what you should watch for in the next year or two.

I was tempted to try and define them by subgenre but so many authors hop around that it's almost useless to group them, especially so early in their careers.

Blake Charlton - Blake Charlton has a very unique resume to accompany his much-hyped debut novel, Spellwright. While almost every aspiring novelist is a writer, very few are on track to become licensed medical doctors. Despite being diagnosed with dyslexia as a child, Charlton managed to get into Yale, Stanford Med, and sign a 3-book deal with Tor. Unfortunately, his current bibliography is only story long (it's a good one though) but luckily you won't have to wait long for more. Spellwright comes out March 2nd and from the early reviews its extremely intricate and unique magic system has impressed readers. From what I can tell, it's a book about and influenced by the magic of writing and one I'm very interested to delve into.

Jack Skillingstead - Quite the opposite of Charlton, Skillingstead has dabbled in the short form for the majority of his writing career. Last year, he made the leap to the long form with his first novel, Harbinger after publishing short fiction for nearly a decade. Skillingstead's short fiction is well worth reading: In only a few short pages, Skillingstead manages to explore genre staples such as alien encounters or Lovecraftian horror and create complex characters that resonate with readers. Back at the beginning of his career, he won a fiction contest put on by Stephen King himself. If you ask Skillingstead, he will tell you that he strives for "tight prose delivered at minimum length" something King isn't exactly well known for. Tight prose is a severly undervalued virture in today's more equals better society and something this reviewer loves to read.

Lauren Beukes - Last year, Lauren Beukes's debut Moxyland (full review) suprised me with it's aggresive style and frightfully realistic futuristic setting. Drawing comparisons in my mind to Cory Doctorow or Stross's near-future SF work, Beukes manages to capture the technological and cultural changes of the future in a way few can. And despite the intricate advances she describes, Beukes is able to pair those with compelling, human characters too often lacking in SF writing. Hailing from South Africa, Beukes has a cultural education and worldview that sets her apart from traditional English genre writers. Her 2010 follow-up, Zoo City is one I am eagerly anticipating. Unfortunately, I have had a hard time tracking down her short fiction as most of it was published by South African imprints.

N.K. Jemisin - Nora Jemisin is most likely the first author I will be interviewing as part of this new series. That is, if she's not exhausted from all the other attention she's been getting from the blogosphere. Her first novel, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, actually came out yesterday and it appears everyone is reading it. And from what I read, not just reading it, loving it too. I have yet to see anything bad about her debut fantasy detailing the power struggle in a fantastical world of powerful gods and the beings that enslaved them. Evocative, imaginative, and enthralling are just a few of the words commonly repeated in early reviews. One of the most common themes in Jemisin's work is power: who has it, who doesn't, and the struggles it creates. Jemisin writes with a distinct voice and a definite purpose, creating multi-layered fiction that is both enjoyable to read and thought-provoking.

Tina Connolly- Based on the early results of the poll I posted to see which of the 25 authors were the most underread, not many people are currently aware of Tina Connolly. Which is a shame because Connolly's fiction is lean and streamlined with a prose style best described as barb-like: it's sharp and pointed but once it's in your head it's stuck there. The few stories I sampled definitely leaned toward the science fiction side of the genre with The BitRunners, my personal favorite reading like a mix of Neuromancer and The Usual Suspects. Connolly has no problem creating immersive SF worlds with unique lexicons and based on the ammount of world building she works into her short fiction, I expect big things if and when she makes the leap to the big show. On the other hand, I'd be happy to "settle" for the same quality short fiction she's already producing.

3 comments:

I was one of those who had never heard of Tina Connolly before your post, but now I've been reading some of the stories by her that are available online and I have to say I'm impressed! I'll definitely be keeping my eyes open for her fiction in the future.

@Tea - I hadn't heard of her before her name was suggested by several of the people I surveyed and I was impressed by the few stories I've had time to read thus far. I really liked the language/tone of The BitRunners